TIRANA, September 8 /ATA/ “Mother Teresa” Square in Tirana, one of the main public spaces of the capital, will be transformed into a space dedicated mainly to pedestrians, while a significant part of the new functions will be developed underground.
With a limit fund of 20.8 billion lekë, the Albanian Development Fund has opened the tender for implementation of this project that foresees comprehensive interventions.
According to the technical report, the intervention includes an underground parking lot, archaeological museum, the Chapel of Mother Teresa, service areas and a public square.
One of the most important changes is related to car circulation. The traffic that currently passes on the surface of the square is expected to be moved to the second underground level. Access will be achieved through 3 ramps with two lanes each: one on “Martyrs of Nation” boulevard, between the Palace of Congresses and the President’s Office and two others on “Lek Dukagjini” street. The ramps will be connected to an underground circulation ring, in the center of which there will be located a parking lot.
The parking lot is designed at a level of 7.75 meters underground and will have a capacity of about 170 spaces. It will also provide connection to other areas of the underground complex.
Meanwhile, at the -4 meter level, there is planned a new submerged public square, which will also serve as a distribution point for cultural and public functions. The project includes an area of about 500 m² for the reception and entrance to the archaeological museum, a chapel of about 700 m² dedicated to Mother Teresa, as well as a bar-restaurant of about 340 m².
The technical documentation specifies that new functions will be developed primarily underground. This limits above-ground volume, preserving the square’s monumental character and its visual relationship with surrounding historic buildings. /e.xh/a.f/p.s./
